KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – In 2012, U.S. Army Veteran Mike Trost was shot from behind five times while serving his last tour in Afghanistan.
“A lot of people ask me what it was like being shot,” Trost said. “And I told them imagine jumping off a three-story building and just hitting pavement – just bam.”
Trost underwent 30 surgeries and an amputated leg, but he said that was only the start of his long battle.
“You have to come to grips like this is my life now this is what I am,” Trost said. “I’ll never be that other guy again.”
Suffering from PTSD, Trost discovered he had hypervigilance – heightened senses – meaning loud noises can be triggering.
“I won’t hit the ground, but I will kind of look around and be like ‘what was that?’”
Trost described his PTSD triggers and the triggers of many other veterans he knows as a way of bringing them right back into missions during their time spent in battle.
Trost then began asking himself what his next mission would be.
“2013 to 2016 were our dark years. Lots of depression, lots of anger, lots of anxiety,” Trost said.
It took Trost a couple years of experimenting around with different therapies to find out his new mission, a simpler one.
Together, Trost and his wife, Stephanie, founded Frontline Gardens, a nonprofit committed to building custom raised garden beds for veterans and first responders struggling with PTSD and promoting horticulture therapy.
They built their first garden five years ago. Now, they’ve built 99 and are set to build their 100th garden on Saturday, July 26.
“I feel like I’m worth something now, you know,” Trost said.
He described the garden therapy as efficient because taking care of a plant and being responsible for a ‘life’ is exactly what these veterans were doing in service with each other.
“That’s the biggest thing is you’ve got, a new purpose, and these plants, they need your help to live,” Trost said.
Navy veteran Doug Hill was Trost’s 95th garden recipient.
“It’s kind of a place for me to cool down and process,” Hill said.
Hill said his favorite part of the garden was actually when the garden team came in and built it themselves because it was a team full of previous recipients.
“You run into somebody and they’re your brother immediately or your sister and you’ve got something in common with them, you can connect with them,” Hill said.
“That’s the cool part for me.”
Trost said he has no plans in stopping soon. He wants to help as many veterans find their missions as he can.
“Just knowing that I’ve helped a fellow veteran out, that’s big for me, that’s really big for me,” Trost said.
You can learn more about the Frontline Garden organization here.
If you’d like to become a financial supporter or make a donation you can email Stephanie Trost.
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